


breaking point

by gazelonger



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Car Accidents, Concussions, protect the Han brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29761569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gazelonger/pseuds/gazelonger
Summary: Albert is hurt, but he’s not worried—Howard will save him.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Albert Han, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Howie "Chimney" Han & Albert Han (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley & Albert Han (9-1-1 TV), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 76





	breaking point

**Author's Note:**

> this is purely based on the speculation that Albert is the one who is caught in that huge accident that is potentially the mid-season finale cliffhanger.

Albert was trapped. Everything was blurry. There was a dull ache in his head, and without even reaching up to touch his hand to his face, he knew there was a bump on his forehead. He thought he was bleeding, too. He couldn’t feel much else, though, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. 

Albert had been driving home when the two vehicles in front of him screeched to an immediate halt, and he couldn’t hit the brakes in time to avoid crashing. He didn’t know what happened. All he knew was that his head had slammed forward against the steering wheel and then it all went black.

He didn’t know how long he was out, but he was awake now. It was hard to breathe. His chest felt tight and his mouth tasted like metal. He tried to take in his surroundings but there was smoke behind his cracked windshield and he couldn’t make anything out beyond shadows. He heard a car alarm blaring somewhere not too far away. Voices, too. 

His breaths came quicker as he started to panic. He needed help. Albert needed to call Howard.

No—no, first he had to  _ move _ . He couldn’t get Howard’s help if he couldn’t get his phone out of his pocket. 

When he tried to move his arm, a sharp pain shot through his body and he cried out. A litany of  _ broken broken broken  _ echoed through his head. White spots danced across his field of vision, and Albert dropped his wrist limply in his lap. He grit his teeth, breathing harshly. This was bad. 

He tried to stay calm. He had another arm for a reason, right? He felt a little relieved knowing that he could move it without it feeling wrong. But he was aware of his entire body shaking.

Albert managed to get his phone from his back pocket, although the effort it took left him gasping and covered in a sheen of sweat that stung above his eyes. He felt like he was going to black out and the thought caused him to feel even more unsteady. He had to stay awake, he  _ had _ to. He blinked his eyes rapidly and thought of Howard. Howard would save him—

Howard was working.  _ Damn it _ .

_ It’s fine, it’s fine _ , he tried to soothe himself. He vaguely recalled his mother’s voice shushing him whenever he fell and scraped his knee back home. The part of him that was still seven wanted her like nothing else, and tears welled up in his eyes, but she was thousands of miles away and Albert knew rationally that he couldn’t call her. She wouldn’t be able to help him. Albert’s chest felt tighter now, and his breaths were shakier. He couldn’t call Howard or his mother, but he could still call someone else.  _ It’s fine _ .

Albert dialed 9-1-1 and put the speaker on.

He blinked and a woman’s voice was calling out to him. “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

The voice was familiar to Albert—where did he know it from? He couldn’t place it, he couldn’t think of anything aside from the pain in his arm and the numbness radiating through the rest of his body and the bad taste in his mouth. He screwed his face up. What  _ was _ his emergency?

“I need help,” Albert said. It was the only thing he could think to say. There was definitely blood in his mouth, though, and his words came out sticky and slurred. He had to be more specific, he had to concentrate. “My arm—I think it’s broken. I was in a...a car accident”

“Wait.  _ Albert? _ ”

Albert suddenly recognized the voice. A flicker of hope fluttered in his chest. He couldn’t believe it. “Maddie?”

“Oh my god, Albert. You said you were in a car accident?” Maddie’s voice was concerned, and slightly panicked. But then she paused and took a stabilizing breath. Albert tried to mirror it. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and sure. “It’s gonna be fine. Do you know where you are?”

Albert made a negative sound. He scanned his eyes around. His vision had cleared up some, but he still couldn’t make anything out. There was too much smoke. He had no idea where it was coming from.

“I was driving home. To Buck’s. I...I was five minutes away. Under an elevated freeway, I think.”

“Okay. The freeway collapsed and there’s a huge pileup. Emergency services are already on scene, so you just have to hang tight, okay? Help is coming.”

Albert squeezed his eyes shut. Help was coming. It was just a matter of time before he was going to get out of there. He trusted that. But some part of him was scared that Howard wouldn’t be there to help him.

_ No _ , he told himself. Howard was going to save him, and everything was going to be okay. He took a deep breath. 

“Is Howard here?” He asked, tipping his head back against the headrest. He felt drowsy.

“The one-eighteen  _ is _ there, okay, but don’t worry about that. Anyone who gets to you is going to help you. You said your arm was broken, is there anything else I should know?”

“Um…” Albert’s voice was uneven. “I can’t really tell. My head hurts, and there’s a bump, and I taste blood. But it’s all—it’s all numb. Is that bad?” Albert thought it was bad. His throat was constricted. His face was wet with tears.

“It’s okay. I’m right here with you,” Maddie said. She sounded so certain that Albert had no choice but to feel comforted by her words and her voice. “Can you move anything else other than your arm?”

Aside from getting his phone out of his pocket, he hadn’t really tried. He opened his eyes and lifted his head. He couldn’t move his right arm at all, he knew that. When he tested it out, though, he could move his left arm around pretty well, even in the confined space of his car and despite how heavy the limb felt. He was sure that he was moving it slowly, but the movement left him lightheaded, anyway. Looking down, he felt sick at what he saw. 

His legs were utterly trapped beneath the broken plastic interior and the front of his car was caved in around his legs.

Panic rose in his throat. “M-my–my legs! The front of my car is crushed, I can’t move my legs, Maddie–Maddie—”

“Okay, okay. It’s okay, Albert. Take a breath. Can you wiggle your toes?”

Albert inhaled deeply and held it, counted to three to brace himself, then wiggled his toes. The sheer relief he felt when he realized he could do it made him sob. He laughed wetly.

“Oh, I can do it! I can do it!”

He heard Maddie’s sigh of relief over the line. “That’s good, Albert, that’s really good. You’re doing great. Can you open the car door?” 

Grunting, Albert pulled on the handle. It didn’t even budge.

He sighed, shaking his head. “No,” he said. He slumped back in his seat.

Surprisingly, Albert wasn’t too worried about that. He knew there was a way that the first responders could get his door open, even if he couldn’t do it himself. He also knew that his brother was coming to get him. So everything was going to be fine. 

“That’s okay, Albert. Help is on the way, but I’m gonna stay on the line with you. You said you had a bump on your head. Do you feel tired at all?”

Albert hummed in affirmation. He hadn’t realized his eyes were closed.

“Alright, well, you gotta stay awake. Can you tell me what you see?”

Albert nodded to himself and peeled his eyes open. “There’s just smoke,” he said. “And my windshield is shattered.” He laughed weakly. “I should’ve just stuck to taking Ubers. Or to making Buck drive me around.”

Maddie chuckled over the line. “I’m sure he won’t be giving you the choice after today.”

Albert managed a fond smile. “Your brother is a good man.”

“So is yours.”

As if by some miracle, there was suddenly a rapping on his window. Albert turned his head to see a firefighter pulling hard on his door handle. His car jolted with the force, but Albert couldn’t really muster a reaction to it. His eyes slipped shut again, and he couldn’t open them again.

“Albert? What’s going on?” Maddie’s fading voice called out. 

“Firefighters. Trying to open my door,” he said. But his voice was low, his words mumbled. He was so tired. He knew he had to stay awake, but the darkness was pulling him under, and he wasn’t stronger than it. That was okay, he thought. Howard would save him from it.

“Albert? Albert, stay awake!” Maddie’s voice was so distant, he could barely hear it. 

The loud sound of metal creaking and breaking didn’t disturb him as much as he figured it ought to. When the car door was torn off, he barely registered it. He could feel hands on him, shaking him, trying to get him to respond, but he couldn’t do much aside from blink his eyes open. A light shone in them and he heard something about a concussion. He didn’t know who was there, but he wanted Howard, he needed—

“Howard…” Albert muttered. 

A gentle but firm hand touched the side of his face, and he tried with all his might to focus on the person it belonged to. He recognized his brother’s face, and the corner of his mouth tilted upward. It was Howard. He had come to save him. 

Albert felt his eyes well up again. A cold shock of fear trickled through him that he hadn’t realized had been so intense until his older brother was hovering in front of him. He was trapped inside his car. He needed to be rescued.  _ Holy shit _ . 

Albert knew it was going to be okay, no matter what, but he was  _ terrified _ . His breaths came quicker. “Howard—”

“It’s me, it’s me. I got you, buddy. I’m right here, Albert, okay? Stay with me, we’re getting you out of here,” Howard said. His voice was steady but his words came fast. Albert thought that maybe that wasn’t good, but Albert trusted his brother like no one else. He was in good hands.

Albert blinked and when he opened his eyes he was being lifted from the driver’s seat and placed down on a gurney. There was a brace around his neck, and two hands on his shoulders. 

“Alright, Albert, this is gonna hurt like hell, but we have to set your arm. I’m gonna count to three.” The hands on his shoulders held him down and Albert was glad for the comfort. He screwed up his face and braced himself, his left hand reaching up to grab at the hand at his shoulder. “One, two,  _ three! _ ”

A scream tore its way up Albert’s throat and his body thrashed upwards in pain. He was held down and he  _ knew _ it was good but it didn’t make him feel any better. His eyes flew open and he saw Howard’s face upside down over him.

“Great job, Albert, you’re doing great.” 

Albert’s face was wet with new tears. His mouth tasted horrible. 

“Blood—there’s blood in my mouth,” Albert said in a panicked voice, his eyebrows furrowing together. Chimney put his hand on Albert’s chin and looked inside with a flashlight. 

“It looks like you bit your tongue pretty bad,” Howard determined as he checked. “I’m guessing it happened on impact. Hen, can you hand me the water?” 

Albert looked over and realized Hen was standing at his side. Buck and Eddie were near his feet, pushing the gurney he was on. He looked back up to Howard and he felt safe. He really was in the best hands possible.

Howard tilted the water bottle gently to Albert’s lips and he managed to take two sips. There was a sting in his mouth but it definitely helped to clear up the bitter taste that had been there. He closed his eyes in relief, his hand gripping onto Howard’s tighter in gratitude.

Before he knew it, he had been placed on an ambulance. The lights over his head were bright, but he still felt like going to sleep. 

“Come on, now, Albert, you know the rules. You gotta stay awake,” Howard said. He patted the side of Albert’s face and Albert blinked his eyes open. “Have you ever been in a car accident before?”

Albert shook his head. “No. But you have.”

“Yeah, I have. Got a big piece of rebar stuck right through my head. Maddie says my scar is fading, but I can still see it. Can you see it?” Howard leaned forward and tapped to the center of his forehead right above the bridge of his nose. 

Albert lifted his hand and poked his finger against Howard’s skin. There was a scar there, definitely. It was faded, yes, but the two overlapping white lines stood out. “Like a cross.”

Howard grinned proudly. “Yeah, exactly like a cross. You’re doing so well, Albert. Scared me half to death, but you’re doing great.”

Albert hummed, resting his hand back on his chest. “You were scared?” He asked, trying to sound amused. 

“We found my little brother in the middle of a pileup under a freeway collapse.  _ Scared  _ is an understatement.”

Albert searched Howard’s face. His brother looked tense, his eyes wide and his jaw set. But he looked like he was trying to stay calm for Albert’s sake. Albert shook his head. 

“I wasn’t scared,” he said. “Not really.”

“Oh, no? Okay, tough guy.” Chimney rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, and moved to push Albert’s hair back from his forehead. 

“I wasn’t.” It took a lot of effort to speak, but he wanted to give some comfort to Howard, too. “I knew I would be okay, because I knew you would save me, Howard. And you did.”

Howard’s smile faltered, his eyebrows raising slightly like he couldn’t believe it. And then his face settled into something sad and watery, as though he was recalling some distant memory. Albert vaguely recalled that night all those months ago—Chimney’s voice, hurt and angry.  _ I had a brother. His name was Kevin. And he died _ . 

“You saved me,” Albert said again, more insistently this time. He needed Howard to know that he was okay, needed him to know that it was because of him. He met his brother’s gaze and nodded his head solemnly.

Howard’s eyes turned glassy, and his hand was warm against Albert’s forehead. He smiled tightly. He took Albert’s hand between both of his and squeezed firmly. He nodded his head.

“You’re my brother,” Howard said simply. His voice was rough. Albert smiled, something loosening in his chest. 

Howard saved him. And everything was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! leave a comment if you liked!
> 
> follow me at kidfrombrkln on twitter & gazelonger on tumblr!


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